The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age
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    THE BRAINWASHING OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY

    By Wattree on Wed, 09/09/2015 - 8:58am |

    BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

    THE BRAINWASHING OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY

    DO BLACK LIVES REALLY MATTER . . .
    OR IS 10 MINUTES OF FAME MORE IMPORTANT?

    While I'm in complete agreement with the sentiment behind "Black Lives Matter," I was so put-off and disgusted by the organization's idiotic tactic of disrupting the rallies of Bernie Sanders and Al Sharpton (both, ALLIES!!!), that I decided to go fishing. It occurred to me that it would be instructive to throw out a lure and reel in an ideologue to demonstrate just how destructive these people can, and have been, to the Black community. Whether they're well-meaning or self-serving (and we have our share of both), such people help to perpetuate many of the problems that plague the community. So I baited my hook and posted the following message on Facebook:
     

    REGARDING BLACK INFERIORITY 

    A HOME IN THE BLACK NEIGHBORHOOD
    OF BALDWIN HILLS, CA. 

    "There are two Black communities. There is one that is made up of strivers.  Strivers use the adversity inherent in the Black experience as an educational tool to make them MORE rather than less. They understand that it is through the effort of overcoming adversity that we grow. They also recognize that the only reason we can walk is because we got tired of having to crawl. Thus, they have the insight to understand that having to deal with both overt and covert racism every day of their lives provides them with an opportunity to EVOLVE, and to develop an intellectual muscularity to become masters over their oppressors.
    .
    "Then there's another community. This is a community that's made up of slackers, people who refuse to grow and invest in themselves. It's made up of people who find it more convenient to use adversity as an excuse for failure than to see it as the challenge that it represents. These are the people who claim that White supremacy is keeping them from moving forward. But the fact is, if these people are allowing the White man to hold them down, the racists are right - they are inferior, but it's wrong to attribute it to race. Just like in the case of a White, barefoot Hillbilly, yes, such people are inferior, but their inferiority is a matter of individual character, and has absolutely nothing to do with their race."
    .
    In response Stewart Scott said:
    .
     "I don't think you'll find any race of people that can easily be split into two groups. I also don't think the author is in any position to relegate lower class blacks who do not have the same opportunities as more well to do blacks to "inferior" status. Stop the victim-blaming."
    .

    STRIVERS

    ​Stewart, show me where I even once mentioned either money or class. I was discussing attitude and mindset. I only attached the photo of the big home to demonstrate the fallacy of the argument that "the White man" can hold Black people back if we're determined to move forward. If that were a valid argument the White man would be able to prevent ALL Black people from moving forward. So what you've shown here is the knee-jerk response of many who are always trying to find excuses for any shortcoming in the Black community. We could develop cancer and people like yourself will insist that it's only a heat rash. The problem with that is, while we may gain temporary comfort in calling cancer a rash, our failure to address the reality of our situation is killing us.
    . 
    My initial post was a lure to pull out a person like yourself to make a point. It's attitudes like yours that's at the very root of many of our problems in the Black community, from crime and drug addiction, to a lack of education and the destruction of family values. Think about it - the fact is, EVERY culture is made up of strivers and slackers (and again, you don't have to be rich to be a striver), but we're not allowed to even HINT that ANYBODY in the Black community may not be taking care of business - it's considered "politically incorrect" - and therein lies the problem. We have far too many ideologues among us who see it as an ideological sin to look at the Black situation objectively. They keep telling us that we're the salt of the Earth and can do no wrong, even as we rob and kill each other in record numbers and refer to the very womb of our culture as "bitches" and "hoes." 
    .
    Now, ideologues don't mind seeing us demonize our entire culture in 10 minute commercials that's being disseminated all around the world in the form of videos (which makes it that much easier for police to kill our children and walk away), but to say we're being stupid is a definite no-no. We must NEVER say a Black person is being stupid. We must simply watch and applaud, regardless to how asinine the activity - as in the case of BLM antagonizing hundreds of thousands of potential allies to our cause. BLM's actions were so ridiculously counterproductive that if they had put any kind of forethought into it AT ALL they could have gotten the Republican National Committee to finance their atrocious behavior  They've managed to turn what WAS a brilliant slogan into something that now enrages hundreds of thousands of people every time they hear it.  But if we tell the truth, we're "Blaming the victim," and we insist on giving this ridiculous ideology priority over truth while our children die.  Well, I'm sorry,  that's stupid - and it's not helping Black people at all. Refusing to acknowledge reality is delusional, and it only gives Black youth a convenient excuse for failure.
    .

    I also have a problem with the phrase, "Blaming the victim," because the term "victim" implies that we're powerless.  Black people are not powerless, we're merely failing to use our power.  Many of us simply prefer shaking our fists over using our minds.  And while demonstrations do have their place, we must be proactive in laying a foundation within the community where our demonstrations have teeth behind them, and are more than just a lot of noise, attention-seeking, and microphone- grabbing.
    .
    The mindset that you've embraced came about after the death of Martin Luther King and Malcolm. Shortly after their deaths, poverty pimps came out of the woodwork to fill the void and enrich themselves They convinced the Black community that we were incapable of managing our own fate, so we needed to "HIRE" them to represent us before the" White man." They told us that, "Nothing is your fault; just pay us $30,000 a speech (Cornel West) and we'll handle it for you" - and we've been doing that for the past fifty years - waiting . . . waiting as our children die, and our lives crumble around us.
    .
    I BEAR WITNESS
    .
    I sit, I watch,
    and I grow ever more obsolete
    as I bear witness.
    .
    I bear witness
    to a once vibrant people greedily gulping down society’s hemlock. Even as they claim to be “keeping it real,“ they continue to maim, kill, and despise their own in hot pursuit of the prime directive with the passion of a sheetless klan.
    .
    I bear witness
    to Black fists in the air in false solidarity promoted by self-serving poverty pimps as the world looks on and giggle at crooked fingers pointed elsewhere.
    .
    I bear witness
    to the superficial attempt to ban the “N-word” while the new "un-niggas" stand around watching children killing children and fathers drugging sons, as they celebrate, lionize, and enrich those who denigrate the very womb of their culture with impunity.
    .
    I bear witness
    to a generation of lost knowledge, cut off from its roots by Ronnie’s “Just say no” generation of crack, greed, death, and political corruption; A generation where the new N-word is pronounced “Responsibility” and the keepers of the flame completely ignore the destructive power of bitch, slut, whore, and tramp.
    .
    I bear witness
    to the reckless disregard of the words uneducated, irresponsible, and classless. Should we not ban these words as well, or should we ban banning words altogether as we celebrate their meaning?
    .
    Yes, I do bear witness.
    I bear witness to a new world -
    a world where gross ignorance comes disguised as enlightenment, and funky sneakers look down with disdain upon the sweet smell of Florsheim; a world where saggin’ pants and gaudy glitter enable country bumpkins to masquerade as elegant, and the exquisite surrender of eloquence is the very essence of what it means to be hip.
    .
    Where's Langston? Where's Baldwin? Where's Oscar Brown, Jr?
    We need you stormin' this beach, because . . .
    .
    I now bear witness
    to a world where motherhood stands alone, to be “dope” renders a smile, and posterity is forced to embrace the wind for paternal sustenance; A world where the walking dead strut about rapping the wisdom of idiocy, and we praise the illiteracy of vulgar nursery rhymes as profound; a world where the mother of salvation's final gasp is compared to the pigmentation of brown paper bags.
    .
    Malcolm, Martin, where are you?
    I once stood with a crowd.
    Now seemingly alone, I'm forced to bear witness -
    horrific witness . . .
    to the imminent demise of our people,
    .
    And my heart bleeds.
    .
     

    Eric L. Wattree
    http://wattree.blogspot.com/
    [email protected]
    Citizens Against Reckless Middle-Class Abuse (CARMA)
    .
    Religious bigotry: It's not that I hate everyone who doesn't look, think, and act like me - it's just that God does.

    Comments

    Eric

    You throw out a blanket statement about the black community and then feign surprise when people react negatively. What percentage of the black community are you addressing?

    There is a conference in Newark, New Jersey today with the mayor and activists discussing how to decrease crime in the black community. The participants include Black Lives Matter. A founder of Black Lives Matter is also a member of an organization fighting for the rights of domestic workers, the low paid strivers among us.

    The responsibility of critics is to be precise in what they criticize. To say that some people are upset with BLM is imprecise. Are we talking about reactionaries like those at Fox? Are we talking about GOP Presidential candidates? Who exactly are you lumping into the people angry at BLM. Anger is an imprecise marker because Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X drew anger. Al Sharpton drew anger. Be precise in describing who is angry. Bernie Sanders and Al Sharpton are still surviving after attacks by BLM. Sanders' poll numbers actually went up. Should we thank BLM for helping Bernie rise in the polls?

    The Texas Sheriff who had a deputy killed by a black man blamed BLM. Do you actually agree with that nonsense. You have become a broken record on BLM. Fortunately, people like Chris Hayes of "All In" recognize the "okey doke" even if you don't. Last night he had the mayor of Newark on to discuss urban crime. Prior to interviewing the Mayor, Hayes pointed out the multiple activities that go on throughout the country with black communities protesting violence. You repeatedly ignore this type of activity in the community. You give aid and comfort to the reactionaries, while complaining about BLM.

    Obviously, if black people are upset about crime in their neighborhoods, everything can't be perfect in the neighborhood. What I am objecting to is not that you criticize urban crime or blacks involved in crime. What I object to is you repeatedly making blanket statements by the black community without specifics and not expecting pushback.

    So for the record. Members of BLM are not asking the white man for"stuff", they are active in demanding basic human rights. Their members are working on urban crime and fair pay for the working class. BLM was the first to raise the alarm when a white teen, Zachary Hammond, was killed by police under suspicious circumstances. I have pointed this out before. You are aware of that fact. You continuously ignore that reality. BLM spoke out for the white teen.

    BTW since we are demanding that BLM always addresses "black-on -black crime", where is the outrage about GOP Presidential candidates failure to apologize for their rhetoric leading to arson at a Planned Parenthood facility?

    Eric, repeating the same thing over and over does not make it truth. The black community does address crime. The black community does address working class issues. The black community demands their rights. Repeated ignoring that fact  by making all encompassing statements about the urban poor, then saying you are unable to talk about "any specific group" within the community is a diversion. Tell us who in the black community you are talking about . Give us numbers so we can understand the scope of what you are complaint about.

    BTW

    Did you ever read the article on living on $2 a day?

    Edit to add

    The meme that the black community is delusional is ridiculous and straight out of Fox News.

    The idea that local communities wait for outside leaders to act is a condescending meme put out by the Right. Local communities fight for local issues everyday. Anyone who believes otherwise has lost touch with the black community. Al gets called only when local authorities are really dragging their feet. 

    The idea that the black community is not concerned by crime is insane. The problem of crime has not been solved, neither has gun control.

    The idea  that demanding rights is asking the white man for stuff is laughable.

    Blaming BLM for police violence is nonsense, homicides of police are down.

    Repeatedly talking about harm to Bernie Sanders by BLM in the face of Sanders' rising poll numbers is delusional.

    If Bernie a Sanders can persuade the black community that he won't crash and burn nationally, he will get votes. Right now, Biden would wind up with more black votes than Sanders. Sanders is an unknown in the black community. It is the job of his campaign to do outreach. BLM is not impeding his ability to gain black votes.

    Using BLM as the scapegoat is not going to gain any traction.


    by rmrd0000 on Wed, 09/09/2015 - 11:37am

    RM,
    .
    I think you need to re-read the article. The article is about a specific mindset.  BLM is mentioned because of their actions were illustrative of the mindset I was discussing, and I'm to continue to mention them every time the issue of stupidity comes up in one of my articles. And there's a very good reason for that - because the level of their unthinking stupidity was so pronounced that it distinguished itself as a teaching moment.  So I'll be talking about how dumb they were as long as I'm around.  
    .
    This is a Tavis Smiley/Cornel West issue with me. I used to be a big fan of both of them - I even wrote an article criticizing BET for firing Tavis. But when they went on national television and badmouthed Barack Obama on the very morning that he threw his hat in the ring to run for president simply because they were in a snit because he didn't announce his intent on Tavis' show, I dumped them both and started investigating them. The reason I started investigating them was because I knew that anyone who would do something so blatantly self-serving and stupid couldn't be too bright. 
    .
    That was and over 7 years ago, and I've written nearly 40 articles on their self-serving antics since. So I'm like a pit bull, and I would expect you to be the same, because online journalists are rapidly becoming the closest thing to a uncorrupted press that America has left.  So when I get on an over-the-top display of public stupidity, I don't let go, because I want others to think before they decide to do something stupid.  
    .
    I take this stuff very seriously because, this is much more than just fun-n-games. People like Smiley, West, BLM and others may have their own private motives, but their actions are having a direct impact on our lives.



    by Wattree on Wed, 09/09/2015 - 12:23pm

    Eric my problem is that you say the "black community" is brainwashed, they are not. Travis and Cornel are recognized as egotists not activists. The community recognizes that they have no value. The black community is demanding that the rights of its citizens be upheld, there is no begging. What percent of the black community are you labeling as non-strivers? are you talking about low-paid workers as lazy or members of the working class? Are demands for a living wage begging or demanding rights? 

    You need to clarify who exactly you are talking about. Stop using the broad brush term "black community" and specify where you see the problem.

    Edit to add:

    You decry gentrification, yet you are ridiculing those in neighborhoods ripe for gentrification. Here is a poet's view of the situation 

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/poet-breaks-down-gentrification-and-...

    ​Are those complaining about gentrification. Whining are asking for "stuff". You want people with no money to magically grab on to the mythical trillions floating through their hands. You have no solution to their plight.


    by rmrd0000 on Wed, 09/09/2015 - 3:47pm

    RM,

    if you read the article slowly, and very carefully, you'll see that I define EXACTLY who I think is who in VERY exact terms. I'm always very careful in that respect. If what you're asking for is a head count, I'm sorry, but I can't give you those numbers.


    by Wattree on Wed, 09/09/2015 - 9:38pm

    You should change the headline. The majority of the black community is not brainwashed. The majority are strivers. The headline suggests the opposite. Crime in the black community and solutions to it is constantly discussed. President Obama has talked about fatherhood. Bill Cosby gave the pound cake speech. The outcry after the murder of Hidaya Pendleton went nationwide. It is the MSM that does not consider discussions of crime in the black community important. There has been a virtual news blackout of the conference in Newark today. Blacks are active in addressing urban crime. The Kardashian's are more important to MSM. 

    Edited to change should could in the first sentence to simply should. Could was posted by mistake.


    by rmrd0000 on Thu, 09/10/2015 - 12:32am

    Maybe what you are struggling against is not the measure of other experiences. I don't get why you want a monopoly in the matter.


    by moat on Wed, 09/09/2015 - 8:56pm

    Moat,

    If you're referring to me, I don't want a monopoly.  I'm a writer.  All I do is give my opinion, and I just did.


    by Wattree on Wed, 09/09/2015 - 9:41pm

    Yes, I was replying to your post.

    I didn't mean to say you were trying to be the only voice or opinion. 
    In the context of your opinion, however, there is only one way to be black. If someone is black, successful or not, and does not promote your vision of black culture then they are white or trying to be. So monopoly is the wrong word. Maybe it is better described as black and white.

    I understand and support identify politics as a means to change inequality and oppression. But you obviously want something more than that out of it and judge others strictly in accordance to that measure.

    As you like to say, that is just my opinion.


    by moat on Thu, 09/10/2015 - 7:02pm

    Blanket statements about any group may contain negative stereotypes that allow that group to be targeted. The urban pockets of crime contain high levels of poverty. Therefore, the people who live in those neighborhoods must be lacking in morals or motivation. The poor deserve to be poor because they are worthless. They are not strivers.

    We tell bald face lies to black young men. We say pull your pants up and you'll be respected. We say if Trayvon had t worn that suspicious looking hoodie, he would still be alive. Just be respectable in dress, and you will be respected. We know these are lies, but we feel morally superior when we ridicule the young man for his dress code. Young people know these are lies because they have been disrespected when they have been in suit and tie.We tell the lie and then w read of former tennis star James Blake, assaulted by five NYPD officers because Blake fit the profile. James Blake's pants were up and he wasn't wearing a hoodie. He was thrown to the ground and suffered a laceration. He was held for 30 minutes before he was released. There was no apology from the officer who threw him to the ground. Black bodies are not respected and the youth know it.

    We laugh at the black high school student who can not read. We laugh at the parent who never learned to read and cannot help the child. We remain silent as funding for public schools decreased. We have been so conditioned by the destruction of education in the black community that there is muted response when they close schools in Chicago. We are silent when the Governor of Kansas cuts public school funding to balance the state budget he wrecked with an insane tax cut policy. We watch as the respected University of Wisconsin system is defunded. What we allow to happen to the poor, will happen to us. 

    If you set a frog in a pot of water and turn up the heat, the frog has enough common sense to jump out of the pot long before it boils. We, on the other hand, just sit and let the destruction of the education system boil over. We are having too much fun blaming the poor for being poor to notice that our children and grandchildren are under attack

    Eric, the bottom line is, the problems faced by some in the black community is a societal problem. People are not asking for handouts, they are demanding fair treatment. The job loses they faced when factories closed has transformed into middle class jobs being sent overseas. While we laughed at the poor for being poor, our wages stagnated. We have become the butt of the joke.


    by rmrd0000 on Thu, 09/10/2015 - 8:38am

    RM, You said:
    .
    "Eric, the bottom line is, the problems faced by some in the black community is a societal problem. People are not asking for handouts, they are demanding fair treatment. The job loses they faced when factories closed has transformed into middle class jobs being sent overseas. While we laughed at the poor for being poor, our wages stagnated. We have become the butt of the joke."
     

    If you'll notice, everything you mentioned is dependent upon the White establishment - ie. "The job loses they faced when factories closed has transformed into middle class jobs being sent overseas." That's exactly my point. The White man is not our daddy, so we've got to stop waiting around for him to get home with dinner.  We could provide our own jobs if we'd stop driving right past Black businesses and handing over our $1.1 trillion to Walmart.
    .
    And we're helping to demonize ourselves by making people like Dr. Dre billionaires for doing 10 minute commercials telling the world that Black mothers, sisters, and daughters are "bitches" and "hoes," and that Black men are hustlers, gangsters, murderers, and dope fiends.  And then, when the world believes him, and juries across the country let murderous cops off the hook because they see them as performing a public service, only then, do we want to swing into action - but even then, we completely ignore the root of the problem. We simply shake our fists in the air for a few weeks, and then go back to non-business as usual until the next Black child is murdered.
    .
    So no, RM, we're not taking care of business - we're not taking care of business AS A COMMUNITY - and anybody with eyeballs should be able to see that.
    .
    An Ox That Needs To Be Gored In The Black Community: Black Churches, Where Are You?
    .

    .
    Where are the Black Churches, and where are all of the millions of dollars in tithes they're collecting every Sunday going? Black preachers do a great job of giving inspirational speeches, and telling us to "forgive, forget, and put all of the atrocities committed against us in God's Hands," but we've been doing that for over 400 years, and the same kind of thing keeps happening over and over again. So it seems to me that, that constitutes a message from God - that he helps those who help themselves. So while quivering voices and inspirational speeches may be soothing, they're not improving our situation, and they're not what we need at this point in our history. We need action.
    .
    God did his part when he gave us common sense. Now it's our job to use it, and recognize that the very same people who are victimizing us are the ones who taught us to moan, quiver, and shout while they had us tied up next to the mules. That's what kept us docile, and it's still keeping us docile. Yet, if that's what we've become accustomed to, there's plenty of time for shouting and quivering oratory on Sunday. But reverend, the relevant question is, what are you doing OTHER than quivering and shouting to help the community Monday thru Saturday? I think that's what the Lord would ask.
    .
    The Black churches in every community should come together to form a consortium. Thereafter, they should pool the tithes they're collecting every Sunday to purchase businesses to provide jobs for our young people that pay a living wage, and purchase property to provide affordable housing in the community. The churches should be open 7 days a week to provide affordable childcare for working mothers. Then they could also hire unemployed mothers to help in the daycare centers (When my wife and I was raising our son and daughter, childcare was our biggest expense). In addition, they could utilize the retired professionals in their congregations to help mentor and instruct the people in the community (My teenage granddaughter is currently being mentored by a superior court judge).  And of course, there should be a citizen's committee to oversee the operation of the various businesses, and it should require multiple signatures to withdraw any funds from the bank, for any reason. And finally, to ensure that the funds are being used most efficiently, preachers should be placed on salaries instead of being allowed to get rich at the expense of the community. Jesus was not a wealthy man, so why should any preacher be?
    .
    That would go a long way toward relieving the suffering in the Black community. But I'm sure that most preachers would be totally against such a plan (especially the salary part), and the rest of the plan would be much too much trouble, because it would require them having to work more than one day a week. 
    .
    So naw, RM, the Black community is not doing anything close to taking care of business.
    .
    Full Article
    .
    http://wattree.blogspot.com/2015/06/an-ox-that-needs-to-be-gored-in-blac... 


    by Wattree on Thu, 09/10/2015 - 11:25am

    Eric 

    I'm so sorry that you are depressed. The rest of us are amazed that the black community is surviving despite recurrent attempts to kill us. There are more African-American men in college than at any time in history. Business start-ups by black women have increased by over 300% since the 1990's. Teen pregnancies are down among blacks. 

    Blacks have fought back against high risk home loans, serving as ATMs for police departments, Stop and Frisk, and a host of other measures targeting the black community. Political candidates  have been forced to state positions on judicial system abuse. Political activity in poor urban communities has increased. Salaries and access to medical care for low income workers have increased. 

    Anyone who can't see that blacks are fighting back is delusional. I see black people not waiting for someone else to do something for them, but doing things for themselves and demanding that their rights be respected.

    Blacks are doing things independently and in small groups. People are managing their stock portfolios. They are starting businesses with personal funds and those of small groups of friends and relatives just like every other successful group. Activist churches are involved in communities. Moral Mondays is a church based movement. 

    People realize the folly of massive numbers of people providing funding for startup projects. Startup projects, even those with great business plans fail all the time. If massive numbers of people put large amounts of money at risk and the project fails, it would be disastrous for the black community. Limited investors with detailed knowledge of the project they are funding is the wisest course and that is what the black community is doing. Black women represent the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs.

    Eric, the reason that we don't want to privatize Social Security is the same reason there has to be caution about saying that the black community should pool money in high risk propositions like business startups. If SS depends on the stock market and the market crashes, people loose Social Security. Investing money in a startup can take years to see a return. Often several series of funding are required before the business gets going. You still wait before you actually say that you are profitable. There is time spent paying back loans so that you are in a position to ask for another loan.

    The black community is not able to leap tall build with a single bound, faster than a speeding bullet or more powerful than a locomotive, but they are making progress. Your pooling money idea would be horrible if done large scale. If you are talking about individual start-ups, they are already being supported. There are more black entrepreneurs than ever.

     

     

     


    by rmrd0000 on Thu, 09/10/2015 - 12:36pm

    RM, You said,
    .
    "Blacks are doing things independently and in small groups. People are managing their stock portfolios. They are starting businesses with personal funds and those of small groups of friends and relatives just like every other successful group. Activist churches are involved in communities. Moral Mondays is a church based movement." 

    RM,
    .
    What you're presenting here falls under what is called within epistemology (the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature and scope of knowledge and is also referred to as "theory of knowledge") as anecdotal (The expression anecdotal evidence refers to evidence from anecdotes. In cases where small numbers of anecdotes are presented, there is a larger chance that they may be unreliable due to cherry-picked or otherwise non-representative samples of typical cases. Anecdotal evidence is considered dubious support of a generalized claim).  Thus, from my point of view, the position of the Black community in the socio-economic ladder negates your entire argument.
    .
     So we could go around and around on this and never see eye-to-eye, because we simply have different outlooks on the way we assess reality.  Barack Obama, a Black man, became President of the United States in a nation drenched in a racist philosophy, based on the philosophy that I'm espousing - "Yes we can!" - while most of what you're espousing is grounded in excuses for "why we can't, or we haven't."  So I'll never accept your position.
    .
    I see Black people as capable of doing ANYTHING we set their minds to doing. But in order to do that, we must face reality and stop giving excuses, and ideology, priority over truth.  That's my position, and it will never change.


    by Wattree on Thu, 09/10/2015 - 2:26pm

    Eric

    The middle class was built by government programs. Blacks should demand support of their government. That is my unbending position. You equal inalienable rights with "begging". I don't make excuses. I repeatedly point out real world examples of success. Your single workers rights organization is the fiction.

    The fact that more blacks are in college today than ever before is fact, not anecdote. The growth of female entrepreneurs is fact not anecdote. Creating pressure to end stop and frisk is fact not anecdote. The fact the North Carolina was forced to fix voting practices due to pressure from Moral Mondays is fact, not anecdote . Decreased teen pregnancy is fact not anecdote. I give you facts and provided links. You see facts and call them anecdote. I didn't study classic philosophy, so your lingo escapes me. I studied how to make scientific arguments. I gave you facts.

    MLK demanded rights. People today are demanding rights. There is no begging.


    by rmrd0000 on Thu, 09/10/2015 - 2:45pm

    Eric, you said

    If you'll notice, everything you mentioned is dependent upon the White establishment 

    And the first thing you do is look to Bernie Sanders

    You also say that we should all be in this together 

    The truth is that the strivers at all income levels are working hard. If some white people are creating unfair loans, you should protest. If you are being targeted by police, it is nonsensical advice to say "just behave". Ask James Blake how that worked out for him. We look out for the least of us because they will feel free to attack the best of us.

    if the White establishment is stealing your money via bank loans or biased ticketing by police, you fight to get your money back. The argument about not complaining about the establishment abusing its power is nonsense. Martin Luther King talked about the check marked "insufficient funds".

    Feel free to pine for your hoped for uni-organization of workers and the mega-fund for black businesses. I'll send money to Moral Mondays and others. I'll make small investments in practical businesses and promising kickstarter projects. Others are doing the same. At the end of the day we will see Moral Mondays make more inroads in protecting voter's rights and the success of some businesses from personal investments. The mega-organization for workers and the big funds for businesses that may not be well thought out will never get of the ground.

    The bottom line is that Martin Luther King realized that the Establishment had to be motivated to help the black community. The middle-class in the United States was created by government-sponsored programs that sent people to colleges, and gave support to buy homes. We know the Establishment can build the economy. We know what works. You want a pie in the sky plan that has never been shown to work on a very large scale. 


    by rmrd0000 on Thu, 09/10/2015 - 2:25pm

    RM,
    .
    You've missed my entire point - and I think that you have purposely cherry-picked and taken my comments out of context to miss that point. Did I not say,  "And while demonstrations do have their place, we must be proactive in laying a foundation within the community where our demonstrations have teeth behind them, and are more than just a lot of noise, attention-seeking, and microphone- grabbing"?  

    .

    You seem to be ignoring all of that and giving priority to promoting your favored political ideology, or what makes you feel warm and cuddly inside.  I have no time for that.  That's why I'm bringing this discussion to an end.  I don't view the world like a sporting event, or, our side against their side. That's how the establishment keeps the working class divided. So truth-seeking is what I'm about; it's my ONLY ideology, and truth is my only team. So I view an ideological discussion that seeks to evade truth in pursuit of racking up points for "our team" a gross waste of time. So again, you have my position on this issue, and it will continue to stand.
    .

    .

    What's Wrong  With America?
    We’ve Turned Our Political ‘Employees’ Into Aristocrats
    .

    I often hear people complaining about how our system has broken down. As a solution they generally propose that we put term limits into place, and/or institute government-financed elections. I’m all for the latter, but I’m totally against term limits because it takes away the citizens’ right to return people to office who represent them well. I’m against any measure that takes away a citizen’s ‘right to choose.’
    .
    But the assertion that the system has broken down begs the question. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the system as it is. WE are the problem, not the system. We are negligently apathetic. Those of us who even bother to vote and keep ourselves informed about what’s going on around us assume that we can simply vote for the politicians we like then go on about our business and allow the politicians to run the country, but that’s not it’s supposed to work.
    .
    The United States is a huge corporation, we’re the Board of Directors, and politicians are our EMPLOYEES, not our leaders - we’re THEIR leaders, and we’re doing an absolutely horrible job of leading. So again, the system is not the problem, we're simply an incompetent board of directors.
    .
    Instead of staying on top of the day-to-day activities of our corporation as any competent board of directors would do, we’re choosing to remain at home watching BET, MTV, ESPN, and allowing our employees a free hand to run our valuable corporation as they see fit, and as a direct result of our gross negligence, our employees are doing what unsupervised employees are prone to do - taking advantage of the situation by giving themselves undeserved raises and perks, doing favors for family, friends, and favored associates, and generally squandering the corporation's assets.
    .

    THUS, IF WE WANT A FUNCTIONAL AND JUST GOVERNMENT THAT WORKS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF ALL OF THE PEOPLE, WE MUST BE PROACTIVE AND RESPONSIBLE CITIZENS, AND WE MUST STOP WAITING UNTIL THERE'S A CRISIS TO COME TO ARMS. IN SHORT, WE MUST STOP BEING SO LAZY AND APATHETIC.
    .
    http://wattree.blogspot.com/2015/06/america-is-suffering-because-weve.html


    by Wattree on Thu, 09/10/2015 - 4:02pm

    I'm sorry that I offended you Eric. I tire of the meme that black haven't done or aren't doing anything. I also tire of hearing that the black community is asking the Establishment for things not guaranteed as rights. We do not say that people seeking gun control have done nothing even though nothing changed after the slaughter at Sandy Hook. The entire black community is held responsible for decisions made to harm poor black communities. I reject the idea that placing responsibility for many problems in the community on decisions made by the White Establishment is shirking personal responsibility. It is calling out injustice

    You see degrading rap music, I see the joy and hope in "Black-ish". I cannot keep up with the positive messages being printed in book form on a weekly basis.  I am pumped by what blacks have done and are doing. We do see the world much differently. I see Black Lives Matter blamed for increased crime or the murder of a Texas deputy sheriff by a madman and call BS.I see the black community finding a way out of no way.

    The battle for justice continues.

    'Til next time.

    You see laziness, I see activism. You want everything to be made right today. I realize there is no way that can happen.


    by rmrd0000 on Thu, 09/10/2015 - 4:23pm

    RM,
    .
    You haven't offended me in any way. I fully recognize that you have every right to your opinion, and you have absolutely no obligation to agree with me. I've long since recognized that I don't corner the market on either knowledge, wisdom, or intelligence - that's a big part of my philosophy of following truth wherever it leads.  I've often come to the conclusion that I was wrong on an issue and modified my position - it happens with me and my woman all the time (and, on this issue she agrees with you, by the way).  But as I'm sure you can see, I'm very firm on this particular issue and I've thought it through - I had to to raise my kids. Until I was in my thirties, and my kids became teenagers, I agreed with your position. But I changed my position when it became more than a political issue and the issue became the mindset that I wanted to instill into my kids.  So I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. 
    . 
    Oh, and by the way, now that my kids have teenagers of their own, both my son and my daughter are MUCH more hardcore on this issue than I am.  They'd refuse to even debate the issue.  They'd quote me - adversity makes us MORE RATHER less.  We don't need nobody but ourselves, our own self-concept, and our sense of determination.  What others do, or don't do, is irrelevant:
    .

    I NOW STAND FIRM
    .
    I now stand firm. My conviction of the power of knowledge is the platform upon which my podium rests. I stand firm, strong, and now free. Free of anger. Free of self-delusion. Free of the folly of empty vanity, and free of the pernicious bane of meaningless pride without substance.
    .
    I stand free to look upon the eyes of other men, reflecting dignity over sorrow, and accomplishment over pain; I stand with a burning passion, fueled by the very flame that forged ancestral shackles, with a deep sense of pride and a pride that flows deep.
    .
    I now stand erect. The steel that once degraded my father, that chained him in bondage to this bitter Earth, now reinforce my character, making me more, rather than less; and the blood and sweat that once drenched his brow, now rage with resolve and a sense of purpose within my burning breast.
    .
    I now stand as a new being - neither simply African, nor simply American, but a hybrid forced to transcend the sum of my parts - no longer simply African, since being torn away from the African motherland to suffer and toil in the fields of America, and MORE than simply American, after being forced to be more than simply American just to survive within the bowels of this prosperous land.
    .
    Thus, I stand now armed - armed with the wisdom of deprivation, the courage of my conviction, and a deep conviction of my courage; and fortified - with the confidence of a survivor, the empowerment of knowledge, and a ravishing hunger for greatness.
    .
    I now stand the product of love, struggle, and sacrifice; a witness to man's inhumanity to man, and a monument to the hopes and dreams of a million slaves.
    .
    I now stand embraced by my creator, as God now smiles upon my people.
    .
    Yes, I Now Stand Firm -
    Firm, Black, and Free.
     
    Eric L. Wattree

    Naw brother, the days of whinin' and complain' is over.
    .
     
    .


    by Wattree on Fri, 09/11/2015 - 7:30am

    What you call whining I call demanding

    What should have been done about Stop and Frisk?

    What should have been done about voter restrictions in NC?

    What should be done about the school closing session in Chicago?

    I don't see apathy or laziness, I see activists making demands.


    by rmrd0000 on Fri, 09/11/2015 - 7:54am

    RM,
    .
    You can't "DEMAND" anything unless you have the political clout to backup your demands - and we don't. All we're doing is fighting political skirmishes (an episode of irregular or unpremeditated fighting, especially between small or outlying parts of armies or fleets) and not preparing ourselves for the overall war. The GOP has morphed into a party of facists, so we haven't seen nothing yet. If they manage to take over the government in the 2016 election the Black community is going to be dragged back into Jim Crow, or worse. Yet, it's non-business as usual in the Black community.  Instead of preparing and organizing for the 2016 election, we're strutting around and patting each other on the back for minor victories that we're not even responsible for winning.
    .
    Many of the political successes that the Black community has recently experienced have absolutely nothing to do with our political clout in the community, but of the political clout of the White liberals who have come to our aid. That's what makes BLM's attack on Bernie Sanders seem so clueless and politically stupid, and everybody in America seems to realize that but us.  BLM committed an incredibly stupid act, and now many so-called Black activists are struttin' around like we've done something impressive.  It makes us look dumb.  That's why I'm on BLM's case so heavily.     
    .
    "Many of the problems that the Black community is facing across this country is a direct result of our tendency to be REACTIVE rather than PROACTIVE.  Take Ferguson, Mo, for example.  The Black community could have avoided the problems they had in that city by simply voting.  The Black population in Ferguson is 67%, yet only 7% turned out to vote.  As a result, the police department is 94% White. In the last election they corrected that problem with record Black voter turnout, but it was a little too late for Michael Brown. So let us learn from the Ferguson experience and be PROACTIVE in our response to what's taking place in Leimert Park, because much like in the case of Michael Brown, it's going to be much too late to try to demonstrate AFTER the fact. So NOW is the time to get up-in-arms."
    .
    So RM, instead of struttin' around, pattin' one another on the back, and engaging in public relations campaigns for BLM's stupidity, we should be organizing at this very moment, because the next skirmish we find ourselves in may seal out fate.  Many in the Black community don't seem to be getting it.  Black people are in the exact same position today as the Jews were in 1930's Germany. So we need to drop the public relations campaign and get serious, and realistic, about our plight. 
     


    by Wattree on Fri, 09/11/2015 - 8:47am

    Eric you are confused.

    Stop and Frisk was not halted because of White Liberals, it was constant black pressure. The pushback on voting rights in North Carolina was due to pressure generated by the black church and the NAACP. The aggressive prosecutor in Baltimore was elected because of black voter turnout. Chicago parents are not waiting for White Liberals to fight their battles, they are demanding to be heard. The people with homes destroyed in the lower Ninth Ward did not wait for White Liberals to mount a lawsuit to rebuild their homes.the voter turnout in Ferguson came because of grassroots activity in the black community.

    Eric, the black community will work along with White Liberals but they have never depended on White Liberals. You constantly criticize the black community and only grudgingly mention a few things you think they got right. I have pointed pointed White Liberals told MLK to shut up. MLK continued speaking.

    Look at your statements. Blacks have to depend on white Liberals. White Liberals come to our aid. You truly see black people as helpless despite all your Black Power rhetoric. You are afraid that Bernie Sanders will turn his back on the black community because his feelings were hurt over some nonsense from BLM. Sanders has moved on. His black communications director has helped him give Hillary a close race. Sanders speaks about racial disparities on a daily bases. Sanders does not hate black people because of BLM. Calm down. White Liberals are not going to stay home because of BLM. Take deep breaths.

    Eric, while you wait for white Liberals to save us, black people are making progress on their own. We will work together with whit Liberals to elect a Democratic President.


    by rmrd0000 on Fri, 09/11/2015 - 9:38am

     

    Eric

    It may be that you are waiting for a mass of blacks to take action on whatever issue is important. I look at the people who are doing something and give them support where warranted. I don't com o contact with hordes of lazy people. I see black people with little resources working side by side with wealthy blacks providing food to people in dire straights. I see people teaching others to read and use computers. I see people from all walks of life in meetings planning how to attack legislators to have issues important to the black community addressed. I see activists.

    Black activists do not spend time whining about the White Establishment, they spend time attacking the White Establishment. You can be black and proud and Mau Mau all day long, but you better know what your enemy is planning and doing. Take Baltimore, for example. Presidential candidate Martin O'Malley set the tone for the current militant Baltimore police department when he was Mayor. The current Mayor did nothing to change the tone.the current Mayor was chosen by the elites to go along to get along. The people of Baltimore took corrective steps when they had the chance to elect a new Prosecutor. The Prosecutor was not the choice of the elites because she said she would hold police accountable. She has brought charges against the officers involved in the death of Freddie Gray. People didn't whine, they went to the polls. They were not lazy and apathetic 

    You can be black and proud and Mau Mau all day, but you had better check what they are charging you for your home loan or auto loan. You better check and see what you are paying for your car. You need to realize that you are going to be targeted to pay more for things than a white person with a worse financial status or credit rating. That behavior is not whining about the White Establishment, it is addressing reality.

    You want to stand on top of a mountain yelling at the black community to tell them what they are doing wrong. I prefer finding blacks moving up the mountain or at the top of the mountain and work on moving rocks blocking the path that most white peoples don't encounter. My method lets me interact with the black men and women working towards college of in college. I run into people headed for trade schools because college isn't for them. I don't encounter lazy people.

    You've convinced yourself that everything is horrible and nothing is being done. You see people standing still on flat ground. I see people burdened with heavy backpacks overcoming obstacles to get to the mountain top. I see defiant people daring anyone to try to take their vote. I see people telling banks and all levels of government that they won't be cheated out of the full replacement value of a home destroyed by a hurricane. I see people protesting attempts by government to steal education from their children. I see a proud people.

    On the flat ground I see people sent to jail or prison for marihuana or burdened with ridiculous tickets by police. I see people protesting police abuse.I see low-wage earners with multi-billion dollar employers who do pay a livable wage. I don't see whiners, I see proud people demanding higher salaries. The people climbing the mountain or at the top of the mountain support these people at the bottom of the mountain because it is the moral thing to do and they no longer have to have their tax dollars go to pay for food stamps for working people.

    Eric,  I just don't run into a lot of lazy people. You could not give me a head count.

    Note:

    Black people had a great deal of their wealth obliterated during the bank loan scandal. Since we can't whine about the things the White Establishment does, what is your solution for the lazy people involved in this robbery?

     

     


    by rmrd0000 on Fri, 09/11/2015 - 8:39am

    RM, you said,

    .

    "Eric,  I just don't run into a lot of lazy people. You could not give me a head count."
    .
    RM, I don't view the world through anecdotal evidence. I view world based on facts, and the bottom line, and the bottom line (our current condition) clearly indicates that in spite of all you claim you see, we're either not taking care of business, or we're inept as a people. I choose to believe that we're simply not taking care of business.  Now, we can go around and round with this, but that's my position, and I'm done with it.
     


    by Wattree on Fri, 09/11/2015 - 9:10am

    By definition, if you had facts you could give me a head count of the scope of the problem of the lazy in black America. There are more black people in college now than any time in history. You were the one surprised by easily available facts.

    We are under attack by the White Establishment it is amazing that we do as well as we are doing. You may be unaware that the entire middle class is under attack. They are struggling to survive. Black people are not immoral or pathological. Like the white people in the middle class, they are dealing with a system gearing towards their destruction. You should listen to what Bernie Sanders is saying,

    Here is a link to his 7-point plan to saver the middle class. He realizes the middle class is disappearing 

    http://money.cnn.com/2015/01/25/news/economy/bernie-sanders-middle-class/


    by rmrd0000 on Fri, 09/11/2015 - 9:55am

    Regarding, the lazy

    The man with the severed spine after being in police custody may have been lazy.

    On the other hand, he may have been impaired because of a disease, lead poisoning

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/freddie-grays-life-a-study-in-the-s...

    It's lazy of me to call him lazy without knowing all the facts. If I call him lazy, I am overlooking the need to address lead poisoning in old homes in Baltimore. I just can't assume an individual is lazy.

    I have met a lot more wealthy lazy people than i have seen lazy black people. Some of the folks one might call lazy show up on street corners looking for back breaking day labor, I've seen mentally ill people one might call lazy roaming the streets.


    by rmrd0000 on Fri, 09/11/2015 - 10:17am

    Reaction vs. Proactive 

    Here is a lawsuit settled because of racist bank loans impacting the black community. To pretend that reacting to White Establishment racism is a sign of weakness is absurd. You have no way to be proactive before such racist acts before they happen. There are laws on the bookstore prevent the bank's behavior. It had to be shown that the bak was operating illegally. Reaction is the only option because the proactive law was not obeyed.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/evans-bank-accused-racist-lending-se...


    by rmrd0000 on Fri, 09/11/2015 - 11:18am

    I don't see blacks sitting around complaining that they aren't doing anything productive because of racism. I see productive blacks pointing out institutional racism that makes their path more difficult.

    The newly released Ferguson Report documents targeting of blacks. Even if you were minding your own business, the system was rigged against you. Changes have been made in the judicial   system, more need to be made.

    http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ferguson-commission...

    People who are tired of fighting for justice should just say that they are tired. The targeting will still continue. Others will fight for justice.


    by rmrd0000 on Mon, 09/14/2015 - 8:55am

    RM,

    I'm sorry about the delay, but my sister recently passed, so I've been offline for a few days.
    .
    But in response to your comments, show me where I called Black people "lazy." That's your word, not mine.  That's what I mean by giving ideology priority over truth. You obviously carefully selected that word due to it's inflammatory impact when applied to Black people, and then you casually inserted it into the discussion as though I'd said it in order to promote the ideology that you're espousing.  Why?  Let me tell you why - because you're more interested in winning a debate than you are the search for truth. 
    .
    And once again, your examples of Black activism are superficial, anecdotal, reactionary, and sporadic rather that proactive. You're referring to small groups of people, while I'm discussing an entire community. If we ever want to get a handle on this situation we must change our cultural mores AS A COMMUNITY.  As long as we're making Black people rich by portraying Black manhood as a fixation on the pursuit of bling, murder and drugs, and referring to the very womb of our culture as "bitches" and "hoes," and raising our children to believe that getting into the NBA is the ultimate achievement in life, we're not on our job - PERIOD - and there's nothing you can say to refute that reality.
    .
    In addition, our current position on the socio-economic ladder negates the validity of everything you've said. Our current condition says it all. So we need to stop making excuses and get on our job, and getting on our job entails raising our daughters in such a way where a saggin' brother with no direction wouldn't even be able to get a girlfriend. THAT'S what I mean by laying a foundation for upward mobility and respect,  NOT waiting around to raise hell AFTER someone has had his brains blown out. 
    .
    Another example is, the movie "Straight Out Of Compton" shouldn't have made a dime in the Black community. In fact, we should have been out en masse picketing every place that showed the movie with just as much passion as we're demonstrating to show that Black Lives Matter, because that very movie, and the very lifestyle that it espouses, says that Black Lives DON'T Matter - not even to us. They couldn't even make the damn thing without a Black life being lost.  So taking care of business means ridding the community of that kind of ignorance, and making it cool to be knowledgeable . . .  because an informed brain cannot be washed.


    by Wattree on Wed, 09/16/2015 - 2:23am

    So sorry to hear about the death of your sister. You have my deepest sympathy. 

    Regarding the discussion, you are the one who talks about the black community as a whole. You put the term in bold letters. You include everybody. Every black person did not spend money on "Straight Outta Compton". In fact what came out as the movie was being promoted was a discussion about misogyny in the black community. In fact, Dr. Dre was revealed as a man who attacked a female reporter. While you are worried about the film, Dee Barnes, the woman Dr. Dre attacked has been speaking out about violence against women and her attack in particular. This discussion has been public in the black community, you must have missed it. Dr. Dre attacked two other women, and this did not go unnoticed. An anecdote as you use the term is an unreliable account or hearsay, I provide you with facts.People know that Dr. Dre is an abuser of women.

    I tell you that there are more college-aged black men in college than in prison, you provide me with an anecdote about the NBA. I provide you with facts that black teens are having fewer babies out of wedlock, you provide a warning that black women should not date an unworthy brother. The pregnancy data suggests that black women have either been putting your advice into practice or are heavy into birth control.

    The majority of young black men and women are taking care of business. The small group is the one that is concerning. They are the ones trapped in the urban reservations with low family income. They come into contact with law enforcement on a more frequent basis, have limited education and work skills, and little hope.

    Regarding entertainment, there are more black eyes watching powerful black women on "Scandal" and "How To Get Away With Murder" and a positive view of the black family on "Black-ish" than will be tainted by the Compton film. That is fact, not anecdote.

    You want us to do our job as a community. Most of us are taking care of business.


    by rmrd0000 on Wed, 09/16/2015 - 12:11pm

    BTW 

    The reason we protest when unarmed people are killed by police is that if we allow them to abuse rights, even of criminals, the law-abiding are next.

    Case in point, ex-tennis star James Blake. Blake was minding his own business when he was thrown to the ground. According the the head of an NYPD police union, anyone who criticizes the takedown is "Un-American". If we allow them to abuse the "least" of us, they will abuse the "best" of us. That again is fact, not anecdote.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/nypd-union-chief-james-blake_55f8a97...


    by rmrd0000 on Wed, 09/16/2015 - 8:58am

    I lost my sister a year ago.

    Her namesake, my granddaughter just reached her first birthday a few days ago.

    I just wished to add that this is one of the most interesting discussions I have read in years.

    Really.

    Like this means anything but:

    I hereby render unto Eric the Dayly Line of the Day Award for this here Dagblog Site, given to all of him from all of me for this gem:

    ...BECAUSE AN INFORMED BRAIN CANNOT BE WASHED.

    I shall remember this till the end of my days, anyway.

    Thank you for beginning this discussion and staying on it during a sad time.


    by Richard Day on Wed, 09/16/2015 - 1:24pm

    Eric

    Targeting of black people with good credit for high risk loans led to a dramatic decrease in black wealth. That is a fact, not an anecdote.

    If black young men had pulled their pants up, the community would have still been targeted

    If black young women weren't getting pregnant, the community would have still been targeted

    If blacks didn't listen to rap music, the community would have still been targeted

    You are completely oblivious to the real problem of economics in the black community. There is a system operating to destroy us. It has now turned its sights on the entire middle class.

    You repeatedly point to $1.1 trillion in the black community 

    http://www.blackenterprise.com/small-business/african-american-buying-po...

    Racism against the black community costs $2 trillion. The black community is $900 billion in the hole because of racism.

    http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/12/13/racism-literally-costs-americ...

     


    by rmrd0000 on Wed, 09/16/2015 - 10:19am

    The dropout rate for black high school students has reached historic lows. 

    Fact, not anecdote.

     


    by rmrd0000 on Thu, 09/17/2015 - 8:40am

    RM,

    This is going in circles as such discussions often do.  You said:
    .

    "Targeting of black people with good credit for high risk loans led to a dramatic decrease in black wealth. That is a fact, not an anecdote.

    "If black young men had pulled their pants up, the community would have still been targeted."

    But if more young brothers had pulled their pants up and educated themselves they would have been smart enough not to allow themselves to become victims.  All it would have taken was a two minute Google check of the prevailing interest rates. In cases such as the above, you have to ALLOW yourself to become a victim through ignorance, and if we're allowing ourselves to remain ignorant, WE ARE NOT TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS!!!

    And by the way, RM, anecdotal evidence means to cherry-pick a handful of examples as representative proof of a larger issue - e.g., "Playing sports will make you rich; proof of that is it made Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant rich."  That's a fallacious argument.  While playing sports CAN make you rich, the vast majority of people who play sports never make a dime. They simply play for fun, or as a ride through college, and that's exactly what's wrong with the arguments you've presented throughout this discussion - you're presenting a handful of examples of enlightened and conscientious Black people to prove that the entire Black community, of 41.7 million people, is taking care of business.  So all you've demonstrated is SOME Black people are taking care of business.

    So as I said before, my position is completely substantiated  by the Black community's current status on the socio-economic ladder. It suggest one of two things - either, we're not taking care of business, or we're inept, and I absolutely REFUSE to accept the latter.

     


    by Wattree on Sun, 09/20/2015 - 7:21pm

    You don't have to choose to be a victim. An arsonist can target your home. A skilled hacker gain access to the server of a commercial business and gain access to your credit card. You did not choose to be a victim.

    Many loans began with low rates, the higher rates were hidden in the fine print.

    I did not give you anecdotes, I gave to data from social scientists. More black men of college age in college than in prison, lower pregnancy rates among black teens, lower dropout rates,and increased business startups by black women.

    Blacks are taking care of business. We are under assault by politicians and corporate interests. The entire middle class is under assault. Your stance ignores reality. We are taking care of business. We are not inept. We are under attack.


    by rmrd0000 on Sun, 09/20/2015 - 7:31pm

    RM,

    It's very important to be a careful reader. You said:


    "You don't have to choose to be a victim. An arsonist can target your home. A skilled hacker gain access to the server of a commercial business and gain access to your credit card. You did not choose to be a victim."

    I said:

    "In cases such as the above, you have to ALLOW yourself to become a victim through ignorance, and if we're allowing ourselves to remain ignorant, WE ARE NOT TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS!!!"
     

    RM,

    As I pointed out earlier, in many cases people so passionately embrace their ideology that they give ideology priority over truth. And then when truth comes into conflict with what brings them ideological comfort, they try to contort truth into a configuration that's a more comfortable ideological fit. That's exactly what's going on among many ideologues in the Black community. 

    There's a widely prevailing ideology within the Black community that suggests that, regardless to how glaring the evidence, to suggest in anyway that there are any shortcomings within the Black community constitutes an attack on the Black community. I don't subscribe to that ideology or mentality, and I try to fight it wherever I find it - and not because I enjoy coming out against my own people, but because I love my people and don't to see them descend into a cesspool of delusion.  Because while it may be comforting to go from doctor to doctor until you find one who will tell you that the cancer on your arm is only a heat rash, that comfort is only temporary, and that so-called "heat rash" left unaddressed is going to eventually kill you. So essentially, all I'm doing is saying, "Wake up, my people; that's not a heat rash you're looking at."
    .
    With that, I'd like to leave you with one thing - ignorance is ignorance, regardless to how small the print. Now, I've said what I have to say on this issue.  I may not have gotten through to you, but hopefully someone will come along and read this thread in get something out of it.  


    by Wattree on Sun, 09/20/2015 - 8:51pm

    Eric 

    It doesn't matter if you adhere to the "philosophy" or not. The assault is fact. Black children are suspended from school at higher rates than whites for the same infractions. The assault begins at a young age. Despite this blacks persevere. They attend college and become entrepreneurs. They also protest injustice. You want blacks to take care of business and they are.

    You say that blacks are not taking care of business. Your preference to be the next President bases his campaign on the assault against the poor and middle class that shifted more wealth to the upper 1%. I agree with his analysis.

    Here is a somewhat lengthy but straightforward view of what happened in the 1970s that helps explain why wages stagnated. I think Sanders would recommend it.

    http://prospect.org/article/40-year-slump

     


    by rmrd0000 on Sun, 09/20/2015 - 9:06pm

    RM,

    Like I said, RM, I'm done with this. I know your position and you know mine, so at this point it's pointless to carrying this discussion any further; it's become counterproductive and a gross waste of time. You seem to be fixated on our victimhood and how a handful of Black people are fighting a valiant struggle to overcome. I salute those people, but I'm fixated on how to repair our cultural infrastructure so we won't become victims in the first place. I don't want to be thought of as the poor little Black guy who needs our help. I'm not built that way. I don't see myself as a victim.  I look at the world eyeball-to-eyeball. So I want to create a black community that's strong and resourceful enough to DEMAND our piece of America's pie, not beg for it - and we need to put in some work to create that reality.   


    by Wattree on Sun, 09/20/2015 - 10:11pm

    Good luck

    I'm going to focus on the fact that the middle class was built up by government programs. Sanders speaks of government programs to improve the current situation.

    Sanders just with Blacks Lives Matter again. Small groups make big changes. The NAACP was a small group. SCLC was a small group. Power to the as all groups They both made demands. You wait for the "masses" to come to your point of view, I'll go with the people already doing things. I don't see people on their knees.

    On one hand I see active people making things happen. On the other side, I see people complaining about what is not happening.

    Edit to add:

    There is a two-tier system in the black community. There is a great deal if crime in urban Chicago. If you are black and live in Hyde Park, you are not impacted by the gun fire. If you are black and live in urban Baltimore, there is crime. If you live in Mount Vernon or the county and you are black, you are safe.

    There are black strivers in Hyde Park, Mount Vernon, and the counties surrounding Baltimore. Hyde Park is a mile from the high crime area. Mount. Vernon is blocks away from the high crime area. There are strivers in the high crime area but government goes out of its way to suppress people in the high crime area. Building a stadium takes precedence over building a new school.In Hyde Park and Mount Vernon, a laptop with a failed hard drive means a quick trip to Best Buy. If you are fortunate enough to have a laptop in the urban parts of Chicago and Baltimore, a failed laptop or desktop hard drive is a catastrophe economically. 

    Depending on where you live in Baltimore, your life expectancy can be lower than in North Korea.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonkblog/wp/2015/04/30/baltimores-poo...

    This is poverty in the United States. This is an issue that requires a government solution because there is no rapid profit to be made by improving conditions. Oh wait, there is profit in privatized prisons.


    by rmrd0000 on Sun, 09/20/2015 - 11:36pm

    RM, 

    I agree with a lot of what you're saying.  Maybe I just haven't made myself clear.  I'm not saying that the government doesn't have a role in improving conditions in the Black community, but the ROOT of our problem is a lack of education, and we can't wait for the government to address that issue, because the GOP has dedicated their very existence to dumbing America down. But we could turn their effort into an advantage if we're smart.  While they're busy dumbing the rest of America down, we should double-down on educating ourselves and making the pursuit of knowledge a way of life.  That way we can level the playing field.  We could make ourselves some of the most literate people in America, because our problem is not a lack of intelligence, it's an indifference toward knowledge.  We need to become knowledge junkies.  

    We must also educate one another in the wisdom of an enlightened way of life, just like we currently educate one another in our current toxic way of life. I've seen it done before, in the sixties - I'm a product of that environment (when I was in elementary school they were about to put me in a "Special Training"; the kids used to call it the Retard Brigade).  http://wattree.blogspot.com/2013/06/one-good-teacher-is-worth-boatload-of.html  

    But during the sixties we spun on a dime (or maybe I should say "they," because I was a little late getting onboard - I was "doing time" in the Marine Corps). The community went from being filled with street gangs and crime, to being filled with dashiki-wearing street philosophers. Former gangsters became Black Panthers and joined other organizations to help enlighten and feed the poor. We recognized that we had to do these things ourselves in order to gain the political clout to FORCE the government to change its ways - and eventually it did, and the community began to rapidly move forward.  Ford, General Motors, and other major corporations began to open their doors to Black workers, giving them access to the middle class, and the government began to PAY people to be educated and trained.

    We made it cool to be knowledgeable. If a brother wasn't enlightened, he couldn't even get a girlfriend.  It became so hip to be Black that White folks were trying to nap their hair up and wear naturals, and White girls were walking around in cornrows. That's how the Rock and hippie revolution got started.  Before that, White musicians were going on stage in black suits and ties singing "Rock Around the Clock," and "Venus." 

    But we tend to always allow the White establishment to think 10 years ahead of us (that's why I'm so big on making education our number one priority). They introduced acid, speed, and other drugs into the mix, and the lure of these drugs began to drag us back down.  Then in the eighties Ronald Reagan abolished the "Fairness Doctrine" - one of the nation's primary educational tools, which forced network and radio stations to give equal time to opposing voices every time they tried to spew conservative propaganda - and then he flooded the inner cities with crack. That devastated two generations of Black people.  As a result, that severed the connection of the third generation from their Black cultural heritage, because the parents who were supposed to be teaching them about their culture were crackheads.  Then the establishment used the media, with things like MTV and BET to serve as a re-education tool, which brings us to where we are today.

    Thus, it is essential that the Black community come together and re-establish our connection with our cultural roots. It's no accident that we no longer see people like Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, or Ray Charles coming out of the Black community anymore. The reason for that is we now have a generation of young Black people where many are just as remote from their Black roots as many White people. Yes, they have Black skin, but thanks to the machinations of the White establishment, they aren't anything like Black people once were. They're like cardboard, imitation Blacks who are reminiscent of real Black people. Think about it - isn't it ironic that, with the exception of Janet Jackson, Tyrese, Mariah, and a handful of others, one of the closest examples of old-school Black soul currently in the public domain is being put out by Robin Thick? - and I know, because I'm a lifelong jazz musician, so I'm listening . . . and Robin sounds good!

    So we'd better wake up, or 50 years from now the only people who are going to have the musical skills to play Black music are gonna be White, because they're devouring our music in music schools and conservatories all over the world as we speak, while we've been seduced by the dollar to spew vulgar nursery rhymes to the beat of electronic drum machines.

    That's what I mean by addressing our cultural infrastructure.  

    .
    THE SAME BOILING WATER THAT SOFTENS THE POTATO, HARDENS THE EGG.  IT'S ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE MADE OF, NOT YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES.


    by Wattree on Mon, 09/21/2015 - 5:29pm

    Black celebrities have spoken out about Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown.

    http://www.ibtimes.com/ferguson-shooting-black-celebrities-accused-silen...

    Jay Z and Beyoncé reportedly paid bail for protesters in Baltimore.

    http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/19/entertainment/feat-jay-z-protesters-bail/

    LeBron James is paying for 1100 student's college education. Gabrielle Union is active in rape prevention. Kerry Washington is active on violence against women. John Legend and Common have been active in criminal justice reform. 

    The black celebrity activists are active.


    by rmrd0000 on Tue, 09/22/2015 - 8:23am

    Viola Davis gave a short but powerful acceptance speech at the Emmys where she made history for winning Lead a Actress in. a drama. It was a straightforward statement about Hollywood. 

    http://www.nytimes.com/live/emmys-2015/viola-daviss-emotional-emmys-acce...

    Today's black celebrities know their past.

    "Selma" director Ava DuVernay brought attention to the flaws in the first video of Sandra Bland's arrest.

    Black celebrities pay attention


    by rmrd0000 on Tue, 09/22/2015 - 10:10am

    The idea that circumstances don't matter has no basis in fact. The potential to raise up from poverty varies from city to city. There is suggestive data that post-Katrina. Residents who stayed in New Orleans fared worse than those who moved to Houston. A city that openly stated that it wanted residents of the Ninth Ward in New Orleans gone, creates policies that are detrimental to the Ninth Ward. The system impacts your chance at success.

    http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/08/24/starting-over-dept-of-socia...

    If you really believe the survival of the fittest in a system rigged against the poor, than we are seeing the natural course of events right now. I believe that the rigged system has to change, so does Sanders. The system is rigged to soften the individual, not harden time. 

    The Catholic Church and other charities admit that they do not receive enough donations to cure all the ills of society. The burden falls on government. Government should not have to pay for food stamps for working people. Companies should pay a livable wage. Government should be building new schools and not stadium. Books should be added to libraries. Circumstances produce predictable outcomes.

    Blacks people are not lazy or morally deficient. Some are trapped in situations specifically guaranteed to produce more poverty. The system targets black boys and girls for severe school discipline at an early age. That targeting along with poverty, lack of food, poor schools, etc. produces people without hope.

    We are witnessing the production of your soft potatoes and you let the people boiling the water escape with no blame. The result is mashed potatoes. If we wait for people living in hopelessness to gain hope, expect even more poverty.


    by rmrd0000 on Tue, 09/22/2015 - 10:35am

    Over 25 million people lack access to a grocery store. These are called food deserts.

    http://blog.heart.org/more-than-25-million-americans-lack-access-to-a-gr...


    by rmrd0000 on Tue, 09/22/2015 - 10:37am

    RM,

    THE PROBLEM WITH UNORGANIZED AND RECKLESS FACTIONALISM:

    .

    The Real Black Lives Matter Wants Activists To Publicly Apologize to Bernie Sanders

    "Black Lives Matter wants the two women who shut down a Bernie Sanders event in Seattle on Saturday to publicly apologize to the Senator and Presidential Candidate.

    "Jason Easley wrote about Marissa Johnson and Mara Willaford shutting down Bernie Sanders’ rally in Seattle.

    "They led organizers and the media to believe they are part of Black Lives Matter. It’s not hard to understand why. BLM is succeeding in its efforts to raise awareness and get action on the multitude of issues that are a direct consequence of structural racism. The Black Lives Matter movement is very loosely structured without a central organization. That provides freedom to activists and supporters, but it means that BLM is also vulnerable to groups who may wish to co-opt their national reputation, as occurred on Saturday. Adding to the confusion is the fact that there are many groups who use black lives matter as a rallying call.

    .

    "This petition, created by #BlackLivesMatter activists, demands that Marissa Johnson and Mara Willaford publicly apologize to Bernie Sanders.

    Johnson and Willaford are the women who interrupted Bernie Sanders’ speech during a social security rally in Seattle and accused the audience of “white supremacist liberalism.”

    #BlackLivesMatter activists believe that this type of behavior is inappropriate and counterproductive, and we will not support it."

    http://www.politicususa.com/2015/08/10/real-black-lives-matter-wsnts-activists-publicly-apologize-bernie-sanders.html


    by Wattree on Mon, 09/21/2015 - 5:23pm

    Eric, you have not been keeping up. This story was addressed back in August. The official Black Lives Matter Facebook website states that no apology was issued to Sanders.

    https://www.facebook.com/BlackLivesMatter

    Go to the August 9, 2015 post.

    Bernie Sanders met with Black Lives Matter on September 16th. Sanders has moved on.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bernie-sanders-black-lives-matter_55...


    by rmrd0000 on Tue, 09/22/2015 - 9:32am

    The people who met with Sanders on the 16th don't claim to represent BLM only Campaign Zero/We The People.

    The more telling recent Bernie news is his scurrilous attack on the late great Socialist leader Hugo Chavez. Branding him a 'Dead Communist Dictator' is the  reactionary Imperialist  thug behavior we have come to expect from the servants of empire and the enemies of free people everywhere.


    by Peter (not verified) on Tue, 09/22/2015 - 11:35am